Identifying Water Foul is pretty hard – they tend to stay out in the middle of the lake, where it takes a good scope to peep them properly. Then, they look remarkably similar. Is that a Goldeneye, or a Ring-Necked Duck? We’re getting better at it. Here are a few of our successes.

Two Ring-Necked Ducks swim in a lake
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in McGinnis Slough; Illinois; 15 March 2025
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough near Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center; Cook, Illinois; 15 March 2025
Fourteen Ring-Necked Ducks swim in a lake
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough near Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center; Cook, Illinois; 15 March 2025
American Wigeons and Ring-Necked Ducks swim in a lake
American Wigeons and Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough near Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center; Cook, Illinois; 15 March 2025

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